Russellville bows out of Babe Ruth tourneyBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor The Russellville Senior Babe Ruth baseball team learned the meaning of the expression "when it rains, it pours" Monday night. After being held to just three hits, Russellville dropped an 11-1 decision to Southwest Arkansas in the Arkansas-South Senior Babe Ruth state tournament at Hickey Park. The game was called after five innings due to the run rule. The loss eliminated the host team from the tournament ...

River Valley Predators open strong in TennesseeCourier sports staff The River Valley Predators 12-year-old baseball team opened strong at the Supersonic American Division Tournament in Collierville, Tenn. The Predators won two games Sunday and another Monday in pool play. Elimination play is scheduled to begin today. After edging the Oklahoma Elite 2-1 Sunday, the Predators downed the Missouri Heat 10-3 later Sunday and cruised past the Humble (Texas) Rattlers 11-4 Monday. The Predators wi...

Road to Babe Ruth World Series runs through Hickey ParkBy Danny Scott Sports Editor Straight from the Press Russellville may not be hosting a Babe Ruth / Cal Ripken World Series again this year, but the road to the 2006 Senior Babe Ruth championship runs right through M.J. Hickey Park. The Arkansas-South Sr. Babe Ruth state tournament is scheduled to begin today at Hickey Park and will feature eight teams -- including Russellville -- in a double-elimination format. At stake is a spot in the region...

Hot bats don't help Cogswell in NLR tournamentBy Courier Sports Staff Russellville Cogswell Motors kept its bats hot for Saturday's tournament opener against Searcy at Burns Park in North Little Rock, but the end result was not what coach Rob Vessell was hoping for. Cogswell outhit Searcy 10-9 but lost the pool-play game 7-2. Vessell said his team did a good job of hitting the ball -- just not when it counted. "We just weren't situational hitting," he said. "We were getting guys on base, ...

Cogswell still unbeaten in zone play with winBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Scoring five runs in both the second and fourth innings and limiting Cabot to just one hit, Russellville Cogswell Motors took an easy 10-1 decision in five innings Thursday night in American Legion action. The win kept Cogswell's Class AAA Zone 3 record unblemished, as Russellville (7-4, 3-0 Zone 3) won its third straight zone game. "The guys showed up and played an outstanding game," Cogswell coach Rob Ve...

Tech to offer two summer softball campsThe Arkansas Tech softball program is scheduled to offer a pair of softball camps this summer with emphasis on hitting, pitching, catching and skills. The first camp is a two-day hitting and skills camp scheduled for July 13-14. The second, which is devoted entirely to pitching and catching, is slated for July 27-28. Both camps are open to children between the ages of 6-18 and will run from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. each day at FastPitch World. The cost ...

Russellville comes up even with Pine BluffBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor After scoring a pair of runs in the first inning, the Russellville Senior Babe Ruth baseball team was held scoreless the rest of the way and dropped a 6-2 decision to Pine Bluff in the first game of a doubleheader Monday night at Hickey Park. Russellville bounced back to win the nightcap by the identical score of 6-2. Neither team did much in the way of hitting during game one -- Pine Bluff edged Russellvi...

Cogswell wins 2 of 3 games over weekendBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor It took more than regulation Sunday, but Russellville Cogswell Motors opened its American Legion Class AAA Zone 3 play with a win over Jacksonville at Hickey Park. After the teams battled to a 3-3 tie after seven innings, Josh Boger hit a walk-off single in the ninth to score Garrett Hill and give Cogswell (5-4, 1-0) the win. Hill and Caleb McGee started the frame with back-to-back singles before Lucas Cox...

Shorthanded Russellville Babe Ruth team sweeps LonokeBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Not even a thin roster could stop the Russellville Senior Babe Ruth baseball team Saturday. With just barely enough players to field a full team, Russellville (3-3) got offensive in a hurry, translating into a doubleheader sweep of Lonoke. Russellville took the first game 8-4 before picking up a 10-0 shutout win in the second game, which was called in the bottom of the fifth inning. Solid hitting led to th...

Cogswell Motors earns second straight winBy Mark Burke Assistant Sports Editor Playing at home once again did the trick for the Russellville Cogswell Motors American Legion baseball team. Nick Wilson held Morrilton hitless through five innings, and Cogswell (2-3) jumped out early on its way to an 8-1 win Friday night at Hickey Park. The victory was the second straight for Russellville, with both coming at home. "The guys came out and played a lot better," Cogswell coach Rob Vessell s...

Russellville Babe Ruth team splits doubleheaderBy Courier Sports Staff The Russellville Senior Babe Ruth team opened its season this past Sunday with a doubleheader split against Little Rock Junior Deputy. Russellville dropped the first game 5-4 before blanking Junior Deputy 3-0 in the nightcap. Russellville held the lead going into the seventh inning before two errors allowed Little Rock to capture the win. Zach Jamell scored two runs in the game, while Devin Rogers and Nick Cloud added a...

Sam Adams Kicking Camp notedCourier sports staff The Pottsville Apaches will hold their annual Sam Adams Kicking Camp June 5-7 at Pottsville High School. The camp is for students of any school district in grades 7-12. The punting portion of the camp will start at 9 a.m. each day, while the place kicking instruction will start at 10:30. The cost of the camp is $35 per participant. Each camper should bring a football, shorts, a T-shirt and appropriate shoes. For more infor...

First day of Russellville Youth baseballTHE COURIER / Fred Gladdis Stephanie Simmons (left), 7, daughter of Scott and Dana Simmons, and Ryan Stokes, 6, son of Pam and Bobby Stokes, all of Russellville, socialize at third base Monday during the first day of Russellville Youth Baseball Association (RYBA) season at Hickey Park.

West boys win finals at tourneyCourier sports staff Not even a late deficit was able to keep the Russellville West Whirlwinds from capturing the championship of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference basketball tournament Monday night at Bryant. Trailing 32-28 with a minute left, the Whirlwind ninth-grade boys' basketball team was able to erase the deficit and pick up a 36-32 victory over Conway Blue to win the tournament. The victory was the West's (21-6) third over C...

West boys advance to title gameCourier sports staff The Russellville West Whirlwinds ninth-grade boys' basketball team advanced to the championship game of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference tournament with a 48-41 win over Russellville East in semifinal action Saturday. With the win, the West will take on Conway Blue in the finals Monday. The West Whirlwinds trailed 13-11 after the first quarter before storming back to take a 23-19 lead at halftime. That lead incr...

RJHS East teams advance in tourney playCourier sports staff Both Russellville East Whirlwind ninth-grade basketball teams advanced to the quarterfinals of the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference tournament with wins Thursday night. With the wins, the East boys were scheduled to play Conway White on Thursday night, while the girls were to face Lake Hamilton. Hunter Hawkins scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the boys' game to lead the 'Winds to a 41-28 win over Bryant...

Dover T-ball, baseball, softball signups scheduledSignups for the Dover T-ball, baseball and softball leagues will be held from 4-6 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, as well as March 3-4, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the concession stand at the Lovelady Field complex. Registration is $35 for one child, $60 for two children and $80 for three or more children. All children for the group discounts must meet DSR requirements. T-ball is for ages 5-6, and baseball is for ages 7-16 based on how old the ch...

West 'Winds top Morrilton in regular season finaleCourier sports staff The Russellville-West ninth-grade boys wrapped up their regular season schedule Thursday with a convincing 57-37 win over Morrilton. The West 'Winds took control from the start, outscoring Morrilton 18-7 in the first quarter and taking a 29-13 advantage into halftime. Morrilton managed to trim the deficit to 37-28 entering the fourth quarter, but RJHS West pulled away in the final period. A.J. Broadnax led the West 'Winds ...

RYBA registration currently underwayCourier sports staff Registration for the Russellville Youth Baseball Association's upcoming season is currently underway through March 4. The cost is $65 for one child and $35 for each additional child per household. Two changes for this year: There will be no candy sales, and T-ball will be accepting 4 year olds. Children must reach age 4 by April 30, 2006 in order to register. Prospective athletes can register online at www.rybaonline.org o...

RJHS East boys hold off ViloniaCourier sports staff The Russellville East Whirlwinds held on for a 36-33 win over Vilonia in Thursday's ninth-grade boys' action. After leading 15-8 at the end of the first quarter and 24-15 at the half, the Junior Eagles mounted a comeback and trailed just 28-27 after three quarters of play. However, the Whirlwinds edge Vilonia 8-6 in the fourth to pick up the win. Hunter Hawkins led the East with 12 points and nine rebounds. Brent Klein add...